Wildlife Photography How To

On my recent visit to Africa as a photo tour pro, I decided to capture the beauty and the wildlife of the Serengeti totally mirrorless. Considering my recent move to the format, the trip was confirmation of how committed I am to it, as I took only my mirrorless Nikon Z cameras—three of them, in fact: my Z6, Z7, and the Z7 I had converted to infrared. Yes, I'm all in.

Wouldn't it be nice to monetize the love of photography without quitting your day job? Even if you don't cash in big, a few easy sales here and there will help you afford upgrading your gear while receiving some well-earned recognition in the process.

Whether you’re photographing birds in the backyard, planning an outing to a local zoo, or shooting big cats on safari, achieving correct exposures is absolutely essential. This task is often challenging, as subjects move in and out of ever-changing light.

When it comes to bird photography, no species is more majestic and more sought after than the bald eagle. Its status as America’s national bird wasn’t always a sure bet (Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey). Bald eagles also nearly went extinct during the 20th century from their eggshells thinning due to the proliferation of DDT. But today as a result of aggressive protections under the Endangered Species Act, as well as the banning of DDT, these beautiful birds have made a dramatic recovery.

Today we’re going to discuss lens fogging—a serious problem that plagues outdoor photographers this time of year. When this occurs you’ll either miss a spontaneous opportunity while waiting for a lens to clear up, or you’ll snap the shutter and end up with a worthless photo.

Wildlife and nature photography is certainly a niche market but it turns out to be bigger than many think. According to our contributing photographers in this month’s column, photos of nature and wildlife can be sold for a broad range of uses, including stock, editorial, book publishing, interior design, fine art, and even assignment. Other important questions we ask our wildlife and nature photographers this month include what does it take to make your passion for these subjects a business? How do you market and promote your images?